Lessons
by Thaliag.2
Summary: Dick knew this would happen. He knew from the day Queen Bee had found out their identities that she would act on that knowledge. Dick knew that they would eventually go into Code Blue. Now Bruce was gone, Dick was alone again and it was all his fault. What Queen Bee knew could bring down the whole League and make the Light rise to power and it was all his fault.
1. Code Blue

**Code Blue**

Dick clutched his books to his chest as he walked through the crowded halls of Gotham Academy. He kept his head down and tried to get to class without running into anyone. The thirteen year-old tried his best to remain calm, but he was so wired from anxiety that it was almost impossible. He sat down at his desk in his first period class and looked up at his teacher. He was surprised to see that his usual History teacher, Mr. Smith wasn't there. In his place stood a woman with brown hair and brown eyes, she wore the usual teacher attire. Dick did a double take when he saw her eyes and barely bit back a gasp when the realization hit him. The substitute glanced at him and smiled. It took all of Dick's self-control not to bolt from the classroom right then, because the woman who was standing in front of him, the woman whose brown eyes were filled with evil and amusement was Queen Bee.

Dick thought back to two months previous when Bruce had saved him from her. He shook his head and tried to keep his hands from shaking. Artemis and Barbra looked at him oddly, but resolved to wait until after class to ask what was wrong with the young teen. Dick took a deep breath and counted backwards from ten. It would do him no good to panic. He glanced up at her finally meeting her gaze with an icy glare. She smiled in amusement and turned around to write something on the board. Dick had known this would happen. He knew from the moment that Bruce had rescued him two months ago from Queen Bee that the woman would act on the knowledge of their identities.

"Good morning class, I am your substitute this morning who you may call Miss B."

Artemis' eyes widened in realization. She looked to Dick who seemed to have gone two times paler than he had been before. Barbra glanced at her and then to Dick realization dawning on her features also. The little bird had told them of what had happened in Bialiya. Artemis knew that Queen Bee didn't know who she was, but she knew if someone didn't help, that Dick would be in danger. She knew that he already was.

Both girls quickly looked at each other before nodding. They raised their hands simultaneously. Queen Bee or 'Miss B' looked at them and then made a gesture telling them to talk.

"May we go to the bathroom?"

Both girls asked simultaneously. 'Miss' B narrowed her eyes, but nodded her affirmation. Both girls walked towards the door, Artemis purposefully brushed up against Dick as he handed his phone to her. She continued walking naturally as Barbra followed closely behind her.

Artemis barely contained her shock when she saw the guards roaming the hallways. She acted naturally and turned to speak to Barbra.

"These must be the guards for that new exchange student. So overkill."

Barbra quickly caught on and continued the conversation.

"I know right? This guy must be paranoid."

Both girls let out a sigh of relief when they walked into the bathroom.

"Those no way he's gonna be able to get away from those guards Artemis."

Barbra was verging on panic. Artemis wasn't far away, but she had better control over her emotions.

"I know that's why we're calling Bruce."

Barbra nodded as Artemis pulled out Dick's cellphone and speed dialed Bruce.

~_Lessons~_

Bruce Wayne sat in the board meeting, his eyes barely open when his phone rang and ripped through his tired daze. He held up a hand in apology and walked to the other side of the room to answer his phone. His eyebrows knit together when he saw the caller ID read Dick's name. Immediately his paternal instincts were shouting at him that something was wrong. He opened the phone.

"Dick, what's wrong?"

"It's not Dick, Bruce."

"Artemis, how did you get Dick's-"

"Doesn't matter, Queen Bee showed up at the school and now there are guards littering the hallways. You need to get here now, she's after Dick."

Bruce growled and snapped the phone shut. He walked back over to the table and told the men that an emergency had come up and that the meeting would have to be re-scheduled. He got some glares, but didn't pay attention as he rushed out of the door and towards the lobby.

_~Lessons~_

"So today class we are talking about Bialiya. Does anyone know who the Queen of Bialiya is? Mr. Grayson?"

Dick looked at 'Miss B' and nodded.

"Q-Queen Bee."

She smiled, once again amused. She nodded her head. Dick drowned out the rest of the lecture as he tried to focus on keeping the fear from showing on his face. He nearly jumped when Artemis and Barbra walked into the room. 'Miss B' narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"What took you two so long?"

Both girls looked at each other, incredulous as they stared back at her. Barbra spoke up first doing her best impression of a stereotypical snobby rich girl.

"Well make up of course, I mean seriously."

Queen Bee was about to retort when a voice came over the loud speaker asking for Dick to report to the principal's office. Dick tried to keep the relief from washing over his features. He didn't bother taking his phone back from Artemis because he knew both she and Barbra would be at the Manor after school. He nearly had a heart attack when he walked out of the class room and saw the guards standing in the hallway. He tried to keep it cool as all of them looked at him. He stared straight ahead and tried to _not _run all the way to the Principal's office. He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding when he walked into the office. He searched the chairs for his adoptive father and nearly jumped into the man's arms.

"It's alright, you're safe. I already told your principal and he's calling the police. We have to sneak out of here though okay?"

Dick nodded against his adoptive father's chest. He had known this would happen. The League called it Code Blue. Bruce and he would have to separate and not speak to each other for an undetermined amount of time. Dick already knew he would be going to stay with Wally. He didn't know where Bruce would be going though. Bruce seemed to sense his distress and hugged him tighter.

"I know this is going to be hard for you, but right now we have to get out of the school."

Dick nodded and pulled away. He wiped at the tears that were starting to form in his eyes. He watched as Bruce took out his phone and dialed a number.

_~Lessons~_

Barry Allen picked up his phone while he shoved the last of his sandwich into his mouth.

"Barry."

"We've gone into Code Blue; I'm dropping Dick off at your house in thirty minutes."

The other line went dead and Barry proceeded to choke on his sandwich.

_~Lessons~_

Bruce hung up his phone and grabbed Dick's arm. They snuck out of the school without a hitch and got into Bruce's car.

"I already sent Alfred to England with his family."

Dick nodded and buckled the passenger seat seat-belt over him. He hung his head and tried to swallow around the lump in his throat.

"It's my fault. It's all my fault."

"Dick, _don't_. Things happen, understand that none of this is your fault."

Dick shook his head clenching his eyes shut, refusing to let his tears fall. He didn't want to be separated from Bruce. He didn't want to lose his father. He let out a small, broken sob. He immediately slapped his hands over his mouth and shook his head. He felt the car pull over and his hands were being pulled away from his face.

"Dick look at me."

He shook his head and kept his eyes shut trying to keep his tears in. He pulled his hands from Bruce's grip. He opened his eyes, but kept them downcast. He struggled when Bruce tipped up his chin, but gave in.

"None of this is your fault Dick."

"That's not it."

"Then what-"

"I don't want to lose another family again! I don't want to be left alone. I'm scared."

He let the tears fall and he leaned into the embrace his father pulled him into.

"It's going to be okay. I promise you that it will be okay. I won't ever leave you alone and you're not going to lose another family."

Dick nodded and wiped away his tears.

"Sorry."

_~Lessons~_

Bruce and Dick walked into Barry's house and sat down at the table.

"I'm going to leave him with you. He's your responsibility for the time being."

Bruce and Barry glanced over at Dick who had gone to go sit on the couch. Bruce had a frown on his face and anyone who didn't know him would have confused his worry for anger. Barry laid a hand on his shoulder.

"He's going to be okay."

Bruce shook his head. Dick would get over the separation, but he wouldn't be okay with being away from his adoptive father, not when he knew the man was in danger. Not when he knew their lives were at stake.

"I have hair dye and eye contacts for him. They're in the bag with his clothes and other things. Make sure he uses them. His eyes are a dead giveaway."

Barry nodded, his gaze still on the thirteen-year old curled up on the couch. Dick's eyes were drooping closed, he was exhausted.

"He thinks it's his fault doesn't he?"

Bruce nodded and stood up. Barry stood with him.

"He can stay in Wally's room, for right now and Iris and I will fix a room for him while he sleeps."

Bruce nodded and picked up the sleeping teen and carried him down the hallway to Wally's room. He laid the teen on the bed. Barry left the room after a glare from Bruce. The billionaire brushed some of the hair from his son's forehead. He sighed.

"It's going to be okay, Dickie."

_~Lessons~ _

Dick sat up with a gasp. He looked around wildly and his heart sank when he realized he was in Wally's bed. Bruce probably already left. His head snapped up when the door opened and Wally walked in the room. The red-head didn't look startled; he just sat his back pack on the floor and walked over to the boy who had become his little brother.

"You okay?"

Dick shook his head, still looking around the room. Wally sighed and snapped his fingers in front of the teens face. Dick jumped and fixed his gaze on Wally.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. Artemis called me. She's having Roy come and pick up her and Barb and they'll be here soon." Wally paused for a minute. "Code Blue, huh?"

Dick just nodded.

"Listen it's going to be fine. Bruce will take down Queen Bee and then you guys will be back in Gotham with you saying stuff like 'To the Daddy Bats mobile!' and Bruce glaring at you and kicking bad guy butt."

Dick just nodded. Wally frowned.

"Dick don't be like that. Don't just shut down on us."

"He's going to get hurt. He's not going to come back."

"How can you think that? He's Batman, him dying is like-"

"-Blowing up the sun, it doesn't happen. I know that, but this is the whole Light we're talking about, Lex Luthor, The Brain, Klarion, Queen Bee, Ra's Al Ghul. Bruce isn't coming back and it's my fault."

Wally watched as tears fell down his best friends face. He pulled the teen close and let him cry.

_~Lessons~_

Artemis, Barbra, Wally, Roy, and Dick all sat in the living room watching some pointless TV show. So far it had kept Dick distracted enough from the current predicament, so the others didn't mind watching it. Wally barely bit back a groan when his Uncle walked into the room holding the bag Bruce had left with Dick. The teen looked over impassively and stood up and grabbed the bag heading to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later a boy with light brown hair and brown eyes walked out of the bathroom and sat back down on the couch. They could tell he was holding back tears by the way his jaw was set and his hands were fisted. Roy put his arm over the younger's shoulders and pulled him closer. Dick leaned into Roy's side and just stared blankly at the TV screen, his mind set on trying not to cry. The others didn't like that blank look in his eyes and Roy unconsciously tightened his hold on Dick.

Eventually the little bird fell asleep and everyone but Wally and Roy left. Artemis had called Oliver and Barbra had called her dad to come pick her up. Dick was still asleep against Roy's side and the older red-head was running his fingers through Dick's hair absentmindedly.

"He's not okay. He hasn't smiled all day and he just stares at stuff."

"He's _scared_ Wally. He's _afraid_ and that's how he deals with it, because he didn't want to cry in front of the girls. You know for a fact that he doesn't express _any_ emotion in front of anyone, but us, Bruce or Alfred."

"I know, it's just scary seeing him like that you know? He's always so happy."

Roy nodded looking at the little bird. Dick was obviously dreaming because of the small incoherent mutters that slipped passed his mouth. Every once in a while he would stir, but he stayed sleeping. The two red-heads hated seeing their little brother like this it wasn't normal.

A little while all three of the boys were asleep on the couch, Roy groaned and opened his eyes when he heard a whimper and felt Dick shift against him. He shook Wally awake when a louder whimper came from the little bird. Roy shook Dick awake before the younger could get any worse. The teen's now brown eyes looked around, startled.

"It's okay, your fine Dickie. You were having a nightmare and I woke you up."

Dick nodded and stood up.

"I don't know what time it is so I'm just going to go to sleep in the room Barry and Iris set up for me."

Wally grabbed Dick's hand before the younger could walk off. Dick looked at him.

"Stay in my room, don't isolate yourself."

Dick yanked his hand from Wally's grip.

"I want to be alone Wally."

"No you don't."

Dick glared at Wally and started to walk away. Wally and Roy sighed and watched sadly as the little bird slammed the door to the room that had been prepared for him.

"I shouldn't have said anything, now he's mad at me."

Roy just shook his head.

_~Lessons~_

Dick curled up under the blankets. He closed his eyes and tried _not_ to think about where Bruce may be. His eyes went wide when he remembered that Artemis had given him back his cell phone. He fished it out of the pocket of the jeans he was still wearing. He turned it on and hit his contact list. His finger hovered over Bruce's name. He wanted to call the man so bad, just to hear him tell him that it would be okay. Even if he knew it was a lie, he just wanted Bruce to tell him it would be okay, but he remembered the rules of Code Blue_. Rule number one, don't make contact with the person you are separated from or if you are alone do not contact any of your colleagues, the call could be traced to you, the person you are separated from, or your colleagues. Rule number two, expect the worst._ Dick contemplated it for a few more minutes before tapping on Bruce's name and putting the phone to his ear. It rang a few times and then the other line picked up.

Dick held his breath. He knew he was breaking the biggest rule and he knew that he could be putting himself and Bruce in danger.

"Dick?"

"Bruce, are you okay? Where are you? Are you-"

"Hang up the phone now."

"Bu-"

The line went dead and Dick took his phone away from his ear and looked at the now dark screen. He tried to swallow down the lump that had just risen in his throat. He dropped the phone on the ground and curled back up. He knew that he would be able to reach Bruce until Bruce wanted to be reached. He knew that Bruce would be throwing the phone away and he knew he should throw his phone away too. He curled in on himself even more when he heard his door open and Roy walked in. He scooted away from the older teen when the red-head sat on the bed.

"Don't be like that Dickie-bird. You just called him didn't you?"

Dick nodded minutely. He flinched when Roy pulled him into a hug.

"You Bats are habitual rule breakers. I promise you that you will be safe and you will be okay."

"I don't care Roy! I want to know if Bruce is going to be okay! I want to know if he's going to be safe! You can't promise me that can you?"

Dick pushed away from the embrace and glared at the red-head. Roy glared back at him and grip his chin.

"_No_, I _can't_ promise you. I _can't _tell you that he'll be safe. I _can't _tell you that he'll be okay. I _can _tell you that if he wants to live he will, Bruce is practically invincible, nothing can-"

"NO! Stop it! You don't get it! Bruce is human! Bruce isn't invincible! If he gets shot in the head, he'll die! If he gets caught in an explosion, he will die! He is human and if he dies, he won't come back! I've seen him get hurt! I've seen him on Death's Door."

Roy wasn't fazed by the outburst.

"Yeah, but he keeps living doesn't he? Do you know why?"

Dick shook his head, looking at Roy with confusion. Roy smiled a little bit.

"He keeps living for you. Ollie told me that he used to be really bad. He would lose it and he was so _driven_ that he didn't even care about the people around him as long as the mission got done. Then Ollie said he started to change. He talked to the League more, he started to be more careful on missions, and then one day he brought you to the Watchtower and everybody saw why. _You_ are the reason he is how he is now. _You_ are the reason he hasn't crossed the line and _you _are the reason that he can and _will _make it through this."

_To be continued…._


	2. NightShadow

**Night-Shadow**

Dick tapped his fingers on "his" desk in "his" room restlessly. He was so bored, so worried. Code Blue had been initiated three weeks ago. Who knew where Bruce was? Who knew what condition he was in? Dick blinked rapidly as tears rose to his eyes.

Every night for the past three weeks he had gone to sleep with tears in his eyes and he had woken up in the morning hoping it had all been a horrible nightmare and every morning for the past three weeks his hopes had been crushed. So many different emotions had run through Dick for these past few weeks and the teen was surprised to find that anger was among them. He was even more surprised to find that his anger had been directed toward Bruce. It had never been Bruce's fault. It had always been his fault, so why was he angry at the man? The child got up from the desk chair and lay down on the bed that had been set up for him by Barry and Iris.

Dick checked the alarm clock and sighed. It was only four in the morning. He might as well _try_ and get some sleep. He closed his eyes and soon he drifted into a restless sleep.

_~Lessons~_

It was twelve noon and Wally was starting to worry. Dick never usually slept this late. The speedster walked down the hallway that his friend's room was in and opened the door a crack. Wally let out a sigh of relief when he saw the teen curled up in the blankets. He could tell that Dick was awake and that the teen was in a bad mood.

"Hey, Wonder Boy, it's already noon. Aren't you hungry?"

Dick responded by pulling the blankets over his head. Wally rolled his eyes walked into the room. He grabbed the blankets and pulled them of the thirteen year old under them. Dick groaned and glared at Wally. The sixteen year old only grabbed his best friend's foot and pulled him off the bed. Dick hit the ground with a thud and a groaned.

"Get up and come eat something, Dick. You can't keep being like this, understand?"

Dick just scowled at the older teen. Wally sighed and held out his hand to help Dick. The boy stubbornly pushed the hand away and pushed himself to his feet. It was Wally's turn to scowl.

"Fine be like that, Dick."

Wally turned to walk out the room, but stopped when he felt a hand grab his wrist. He turned around and looked at Dick.

"I'm sorry; I just didn't sleep well last night. I didn't mean to be a jerk."

"It's okay, Dick. Was it more nightmares?"

The teen shook his head and looked at the ground.

"I was just thinking about Bruce. There's no way to tell where he is or how he is and it scared me so I was up all night thinking."

Wally nodded and looked at Dick. Barry had been keeping Dick away from websites that covered the news in Gotham, because the city was in turmoil. The villains had seemed to notice that the city's protectors were gone and after that had happened it had only taken minutes for the city to go to the villains.

Iris tried to keep Dick busy so he wouldn't dwell too much on the situation. It turned out that Dick was actually a pretty good cook. He liked to help Iris in the kitchen a lot after discovering that. When Wally asked him why, he replied that it reminded him of helping his mom when he was little.

_~Lessons~_

Dick walked into the kitchen with Wally, where Iris was making some sandwiches for her husband, Wally, and Dick. She looked up and smiled at both teens.

"Wally, set the table for me please. Dick, can you help me finish these sandwiches?"

Dick nodded and he started assembling ham and cheese sandwiches. He liked helping Iris a lot. She reminded him of his mom.

"Dick, after we're done with lunch, do you want to help me with dinner?"

"Sure."

Iris frowned, she could hear all the sadness and worry in the teen's voice and it was bothering her. She looked at Dick and her eyes widened when she saw his hands shaking.

"Sweetheart are you okay?"

Dick shook his head. Iris frowned and put down the bread she had been holding and she put her hand on Dick's shoulder.

"Come on, sweetheart you can tell me in the living room, okay?"

Dick nodded.

"Wally finish making the sandwiches for me and don't eat them!"

She and Dick went into the living room and she sat him down on the couch. He looked at her guiltily and she immediately knew what was happening.

"Did you look at the news reports for Gotham, Dick?"

He nodded quietly.

"And you thought that I would get angry at you for it, so you got nervous."

He nodded again. Iris sighed and pulled him into a hug. He leaned into it, happy to get some comfort from anyone. She ran a hand through his now brown locks and pulled him closer. She knew he was feeling worthless because he wasn't out in the field. She knew that Bruce and being a crime fighter were all that kept him from losing it and with those two things ripped away from him so suddenly he was struggling.

"Dick, I want you to be honest with me. Did you hack the league computers to get the news reports?"

He nodded.

"I just wanted to find out if there were any sitings of Bruce and then I decided to patch into the news. I'm sorry, I just feel so useless now that I can't be out there kicking butt. It's not fair that I had to give that up. It's not fair that I had to give up my family."

She only held him tighter. After a few minutes he pulled away from the embrace and stood up. The look on his face indicated that he had an idea. He turned to her with a smile on his face.

"I know what I can do, is it okay if I bring my sandwich with me into the room?"

She nodded, a little confused as to what he was going to do. He smiled, grabbed his sandwich and ran off to the room she and her husband had set up for him. Wally came out of the kitchen, chewing on a sandwich, the other half in his hand with an eyebrow raised.

"Well he's happy."

"I can see that, and didn't I tell you not to eat those sandwiches?"

Wally gulped and chuckled nervously before zipping down the hallway after his best friend.

_~Lessons~_

The Boy Wonder was hunched over the desk drawing on a piece of blank paper. Wally walked over wondering just what his little brother could be up to. He looked over Dick's shoulder and what he saw made his blood run cold. He snatched the paper away from the teen, startling him. Wally's eyes were narrowed in anger as he glared into the now brown eyes of his best friend.

"Are you in-freaking-sane Dick? A hero suit, you're designing a hero suit? I guess being hunted down by a villain isn't enough for you, maybe you need to throw yourself into danger?"

The boy stared at him with tear filled eyes as Wally ripped the paper into shreds and crimpled it into a ball. His hands were shaking as he tried to keep from crying.

"You don't understand, I can't just sit here and-"

"No Dick, you can and you will sit here and STAY SAFE!"

Dick growled and tackled Wally to the ground and the two started to wrestle each other. Dick punched Wally in the jaw and Wally kneed the younger teen in the gut. Dick released his hold on Wally and fell limp, trying to catch his breath. Wally could see tears seeping from his friends eyes and down his cheeks. He glanced away from the younger feeling guilt well up inside him.

"It was a stupid idea Dick. Barry would have never let you do it."

The teen just turned away from him. Dick sat up from the floor and wiped his eyes going to lie down on the bed. He pulled the blankets over his head and turned to get comfortable.

"Tell Iris I'm not hungry, but thank you anyway."

Wally was going to walk over and try and talking to Dick, before he heard the first sob. His outstretched hand froze and he pulled it back, turned around and left the room.

_~Lessons~_

Iris and Barry frowned as they looked at the pieced together remains of the paper that Wally had ripped up earlier. Barry was studying the design of the suit and he frowned deeper. He glanced at Iris who nodded and then he glanced at Wally who was frowning at the nod that he and Iris had just shared.

"I honestly can't find anything wrong with his idea. Actually it's pretty ingenious. The design is nothing like his Robin costume, he even made a full mask instead of a domino one, and a voice scrambler. There's not even a cape."

Wally sputtered in disbelief glaring at his uncle.

"Are you kidding me? Aunt Iris, tell him this is a really stupid idea. Tell him no."

"Actually, I think this would help. Dick needs to be out there fighting bad guys, I'm worried about him he's so robotic now. I can't see anything wrong with it.'

Wally threw his hands up in the air with a groan.

"Fine I'll go talk to him."

_~Lessons~_

Wally walked into the room and sat on the corner of the bed sighing when the form huddled underneath the blankets curled up tighter and tried to inch away from him.

"So, Boy Wonderful, what are you going to call yourself now?"

Dick's head popped out from under the blankets and he looked at Wally with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Barry said you could do it."

_~Lessons~_

Dick looked at Wally with shock. Then his face broke out in a grin and he tackled the speedster in a hug. Wally sighed and hugged his little brother back. He frowned at the teen when he pulled away however.

"So, what are you going to call yourself, you can't just keep things like this from me."

Dick smiled.

"Night-Shadow."


	3. Game Plan

**Game Plan**

**Beta: XxNeonShadowsxX**

Six weeks after the idea of Night-Shadow had been proposed Dick was back in Gotham. The now white haired, green eyed teen swung from rooftop to rooftop. He let out a yell of excitement. Adrenaline was running through his veins and he was feeling great. He did a triple back flip and landed in an alley way.

Two thugs who were looting a small purse spun around when they heard a small thud. When they didn't see anything they went back to their previous actions. They didn't notice a boy dressed in all black come up behind them.

"You know, you shouldn't do that."

The thugs didn't even get a chance to turn around before they were on the ground, unconscious. Behind his mask Dick smiled. They were the fourth pair of robbers he had caught in tonight. He was feeling great. Suddenly the atmosphere seemed to change, making the hair on the back of Dick's neck stand up. He tensed and then lashed out with a kick. His foot was caught and he was thrown into the alley wall. He grunted as pain erupted in his shoulder. Was there another robber that he hadn't seen?

As he dodged a punch that would have broken his jaw, he realized that his attacker was someone _much_ more skilled. He dodged another punch, but he didn't expect a hand to encircle his neck and to slam him back against the wall. Dick lifted his arms to try and pry the hand that was cutting off the oxygen supply to his lungs off his neck. He whimpered when his efforts started to become increasingly futile, with blood roaring in his ears and black spots dancing at the corners of his eyes, he was ready to give up.

Dick gasped for breath as he was released and fell to the ground. He thought his attack was over but then he was kicked in the ribs. He screamed as pain erupted in his side. The blood in his veins froze as a hand grabbed his mask and yanked it off of his head.

"You know Robin, hair dye and eye contacts aren't going to fool anyone."

Dick looked up at his assailant with wide eyes.

"Deathstroke, what are you doing here?"

"Daddy decided to hire me to watch over the city."

Dick narrowed his eyes and pushed himself to his feet. He clutched his side and barely held in a whimper when the motion jostled his bruised ribs. The teen stared at the mercenary in front of him, trying to keep the nervousness and fear hidden behind a poker face. Just because the man in front of him had both his and Bruce's respect-and the smallest smidge of trust-didn't mean the man was to be taken lightly. Dick pulled himself away from his thoughts and looked back at Deathstroke.

"Well, you're doing a bang up job of it."

Deathstroke let out a chuckle.

"No, I just _kill_ my opposition."

Before Dick could catch onto what the man was denoting, he had already pulled out a gun and shot the two thugs.

"No! Batman would never condone this. Ever!" Dick yelled.'

Another chuckle from the villain in front of him.

"How can you be sure of that? Desperate times call for desperate measures, as they say. Are you really sure Bruce is the idol you make him out to be?"

There were tears burning in the teen's eyes now. He growled at Deathstroke, the man only shook his head in an amused manner.

"If there had been someone other than me behind you right now they would have killed you and you know it. Those thugs over there were about to wake up. Had you been in a fight it would have been three against one. "

"I can handle that."

"Can you now?"

Dick stayed silent. This was insane. Why would Bruce hire someone like Deathstroke, when he knew the man wouldn't hesitate to kill? The teen shivered as a gust of winter air blew through the alley.

"Cold?" the mercenary inquired.'

"Yeah actually." the teen mumbled.'

Deathstroke looked at the teen in front of him as if contemplating something. Finally, he turned around and started walking out of the alleyway.

"Follow me."

The child did so. Deathstroke may be a killer, but he had Dick's (grudging) respect and if Bruce trusted the man enough to watch over the city, than Dick figured he could trust the man too.

_**~Lessons~**_

When they arrived at Deathstroke's hideout or rather a backup Batcave as Bruce liked to call it Dick almost cried at the familiarity. He walked over to the computer and turned it on immediately. He sent an untraceable e-mail to Wally and then logged back off.

_~Flashback~_

"_So, Wonder boy, the minute you get near a computer you're going to e-mail me got it?"_

_Dick smiled and nodded. _

"_I promise Walls, and if there's an emergency, I'll be sure to call both you and Roy for back up. You guys have to remember that I still have Babs and Artie in Gotham to go to."_

_Roy frowned and pulled Dick close and Wally joined in on the impromptu hug._

"_No you are our Birdie! They can't have you!"_

"_You guys are insane!" Dick laughed.'_

_~End Flashback~_

Dick sighed and read over the e-mail one more time. It was rather short for his tastes and he knew Wally would ask about a dozen questions in his reply. He sighed and shook his head to clear his mind; at least Wally would be able to tell Barry and Iris that he wouldn't be coming back for at least two weeks. Dick turned around when he heard footsteps coming towards him.

"If you are wondering I am able to contact him."

Dick whirled around and looked at Deathstroke with wide, hopeful eyes. He hadn't talked to Bruce in weeks.

"Can I-"

"Why do you think I told you?"

Dick's smile grew wider as he was handed a communicator.

"Thank you so much! You don't know how much-"

"Save it kid, just make the call; it's the yellow button."

Dick pressed the button and waited for the connection to go through. His heart was beating a mile per minute. He nearly jumped for joy when Bruce's face showed up on screen.

"I didn't think you would have a report for me this soon Slade, what happene-oh." The man stared at him in confusion before realization bathed his features. "Dick, what-"

"I couldn't stand being there for one more second Bruce. I made a new suit and everything. It's a full mask. I'm using different shaped weapons. The suit is a different material and has a different color scheme than my Robin suit. I even added supports to the shoes to make myself a few inches taller."

Bruce smirked and Dick let out a sigh of relief.

"I knew something like this was going to happen. I'm just glad you were smart about it."

Bruce's smirk fell when he saw the troubled look on his son's face. He inwardly braced himself for the question he knew was coming next.

"Did you really give Deathstroke authorization to kill?"

Bruce's face fell at that and he looked away from the camera. Dick had tried to cover the disappointment in his voice with curiosity, but Bruce saw right through it. The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I-Let's just say I didn't tell him he couldn't."

The teen just nodded. The three words that were running through his head were 'How could you?' He blinked a few times to try and keep the tears out of his eyes.

"I-I understand. I love you Tati. P-please be careful."

"I will, I promise. Can you give S-Deathstroke the communicator; I need to discuss some things with him."

Dick nodded and started to walk over to where the mercenary was.

_**~Lessons~**_

"You're going to charge me extra because of this aren't you?"

Slade smirked.

"No, I'm going to charge you extra not to kill."

"But we never-"

"Oh, I know, but your little boy would be crushed if his idol was anything less than spotless."

"Thank you."

Slade just nodded.

"A certain villainess has been looking for you; she wants to know if you are okay. I assume you two have a thing?"

Bruce just shook his head with a smirk. Then he looked up, face serious.

"If and when the Joker decides to try anything, do not let Dick come with you to stop him. It's too risky and Joker will recognize him."

Slade looked over at said teen. The boy was doing on the computer. Slade just shook his head and turned his attention back to Bruce/

"And how do you figure that?"

"You keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

Why did the Bat always have to be so cryptic? It grated on his nerves. Not to mention it was annoying.

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind."

"Good and Slade, thank you."

The man nodded and ended the connection. He looked toward the computer and sighed when he saw the teen watching the news. Slade walked over and turned of the computer. The boy looked at him indignantly.

"Isn't it past your bed time? I believe Daddy has cots set up over there."

Dick shot the man a glare, but still headed over to the cots that Bruce had always kept in the place just in case. He was pretty exhausted anyway. After the adrenaline had worn off he didn't even know how he continued standing. As soon as he lied down he fell into a deep and troubled sleep.

_**~Lessons~**_

"What have you gotten yourself into this time, Dick?"

Brice sighed as he stared at the communicator. He knew that Dick wasn't going to stay hidden for long; he had just hoped that he wouldn't have come out of hiding so soon. Bruce was just on edge. Joker had not been mentioned in any of Slade's reports and it had been almost ten weeks now. The clown was bound to show up soon. Why couldn't Dick have waited until after that to come out of hiding? The man took a deep breath and let it out.

All he could do was hope.

**A/N: All thanks for this chapter goes to XxNeonShadowsxX for helping me correct and perfect this chapter of Lessons. **


	4. Breakdown

**Breakdown**

**Beta: XxNeonShadowsxX**

Deathstroke sat at his laptop, typing at a rapid pace. The man wore a tight-fitting black t-shirt and sweatpants. Being in a costume all the time was never comfortable. As the man looked up to see Night-Shadow polishing his weapons, he was surprised to see that the child wasn't wearing a costume either. Rather, the teen was dressed in a green hoodie and dark skinny jeans. The man scowled, knowing that the clothes the boy was wearing were very reminiscent of his previous style. In fact…it was exactly the same.

"You know if you go out like that, regardless of your hair or eye color, you are going to give yourself away. They will recognize the style of your clothes and…well, you know what will happen then."

The mercenary felt a bit guilty when the boy flinched, but kept his eye narrowed.

"I know; I just don't have anything else." The teen answered quietly.

"If you give me your sizes, I could buy you some new clothes."

Dick made a noise of affirmation. He stopped polishing his weapons and stared ahead in thought. He turned to look at Deathstroke, who had gone back to typing.

"Death…"

"Slade," The man corrected without looking up.

The boy nodded and continued to talk. "Slade, if the Light, or any villain for that matter, happened to offer you a bigger payout than Bruce, would you sell us out?"

Slade studied the boy's face, surprised by the vulnerability that the child was displaying. Slade knew that the teen needed someone to trust and someone to cling to. However, Slade would not let one little puppy dog look take down all his defenses. The mercenary schooled his features into a glare.

"Of course I would, who do you think I am?"

Dick's face fell and he turned back to his weapons, polishing fiercely. Tears were brimming in his eyes and there was a lump in his throat. How could he have thought that Deathstroke would ever be someone to trust? Why was he so prone to wearing his heart on his sleeve, trusting everyone in sight?

Slade stared at the boy and shook his head. He stood and put and hand on the boy's shoulder. Dick shrugged it off, turning around to glare at the mercenary.

"You are the worse kind of person! Don't you know what they would do to him? What they would do to _me_? I bet you don't even care! You know, when I read about you a couple of days ago, I thought 'maybe he'll care, maybe he'll keep me safe until Bruce gets back.' Then I found out what had happened to your son. How you just stood there while that creep tried to kill him! How you didn't even-"

Slade was grabbed the teen by his neck, his hold dangerously tight. His eye was narrowed in a pained glare. Dick tugged at the man's hand, trying to pry the fingers off of his throat. He coughed and shook his head weakly as Slade's grip tightened. After one last futile attempt to make the mercenary let go, Dick let his hands fall to his sides. He looked Slade straight in the eye.

"Just do it: just kill me. You'd be doing everyone a favor," Dick barely whispered.

Slade dropped him on the ground and Dick stared at the mercenary, angry tears still stinging in his eyes. The man looked back at him with a gaze that was a mixture of sadness and shock.

"Why didn't you do it? Why didn't you kill me? Just kill me! Just kill me! Please, I don't…I can't do it anymore! I…"

Sobs racked the teen's frame and tears streamed down his face. He had thought he could handle it, he had thought that he would be able to get through. But he was wrong, he had been over confident. He had let Bruce down, he had promised his father he would be okay, he had promised himself. He had broken that promise.

Dick wrapped his arms around his torso and squeezed his eyes shut. He wanted to stop crying, but he couldn't. His throat hurt so badly from sobbing, but he couldn't stop. He just couldn't stop.

Slade stared at the teen in front of him with a sad expression on his face. He kneeled down next to the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. Then teen shrugged him off and curled in on himself.

"Look at me."

The boy shook his head as another wave of tears hit him. Slade rolled his eye and tried again.

"_Look at me."_

This time the boy raised his head. Faux, green eyes, filled with tears stared up at the mercenary from under snowy white bangs.

"Go take a shower, and calm down," Slade suggested quietly.

Dick merely nodded and pushed himself to his feet. There was no need to look for any comfort while he was in his situation. He would have to rely on himself because no help would come. At that thought, new, silent tears fell down his face in rivulets.

_I'm all alone again._

_**~Lessons~**_

Slade grabbed his communicator and with reluctance pressed the yellow button. When Bruce found out that his little bird had had a breakdown, the man would not be happy. But when he found out that Slade was the one to cause it…the man would be furious. Slade took a deep breath and steeled himself.

Bruce's face flickered onto the screen with a frown. Slade could tell that the man was working on something important by the way the Dark Knight's brow was furrowed and by the way his eyes were narrowed in concentration.

"Leave a quick report, I'm busy and don't have much time for-"

"Your son had a break down," Slade stated bluntly.

Bruce's head snapped up and he stared at Slade suspiciously. Slade met the man's gaze head on, feeling that anything else would be cowardly. Besides, the worse the Bat could do was take away a couple of thousand dollars from his check.

"What did you do?" the man asked angrily.

Slade sighed, but began to tell Bruce exactly what had happened. The Dark Knight's expression changed from anger to blame to guilt, but after Slade had concluded his story, the expression that adorned Bruce's face was one of sadness.

"He…did he really beg you to kill him? That…that just isn't him. He's so _strong._ I…give him the communicator when he finishes with his shower. I need to speak with him," Bruce sighed.

"With all to respect, I believe talking to him will make it worse. Every time he sees you, he is reminded of what he does not have. He's reminded that I am not you, that I'm not going to comfort him after nightmares. He's reminded that I'm not the one who's going to protect him. He's put into the mind set that he is all alone and that the only one he has to rely on is himself. The more you talk to him, the more he hurts."

Bruce narrowed his eyes in thought. After a moment or two of silence the man nodded and looked back up at Slade.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Bruce said.

"There is no way you can be that close. Unless…you've been in your cave the whole time, haven't you?" Slade growled.

The screen went black and Slade was left staring at the communicator in anger.

_**~Lessons~**_

Dick walked back into the room holding the cots, drying his natural-black hair. His eyes were still puffy from crying, but he felt much calmer than before. The teen sat down on his cot and was about to grab his notebook when he noticed the figure sitting across from him.

Natural, blue, sapphires went wide and Dick froze as he contemplated the man before him. The teen tried to convince himself that what he was seeing wasn't real. Perhaps he had passed out in the shower and he was dreaming. Or maybe Slade had actually killed him.

However, as Bruce opened his arms as a welcome for embrace and as Dick threw himself into the arms of his adoptive father, the teen new that he was in reality and that Bruce had come to save him. Tears flowed freely from the child's eyes. A death grip was applied to the man's shirt and Bruce simply hugged the boy in his arms closer and placed a kiss on the top of his son's head.

"You left me alone! You left me alone with him! He doesn't care! He'll never care! Why didn't you come earlier? Why? _Why_" Dick wailed.

Bruce rocked the child in his arms, much like a mother would her newborn baby.

"I'm right here. I'm right here," The man reassured quietly.

Slade looked on the scene with a calculating gaze. He glanced at the crying teen and then glanced down at the unmarked phone in his hand. All he had to do was make the call and he would have enough money to last a life time.

He hesitated, glancing one more time at the father-son duo, before walking out of the room and flipping the phone open. Perhaps he did care after all.

_**~Lessons~**_

Dick was asleep when Slade walked back into the room with the cots. Bruce was sitting next to him, brushing the hair out of the boy's face. Slade cleared his throat and Bruce looked up at him.

"The Light gave me this." Slade paused and pulled out the phone he had just used. "They suspected that I was in contact with you. Therefore I was approached by Queen Bee about a week before Dick showed up here. She gave me this phone and allowed me a glimpse of a check that would put me in early retirement. I was to call them if I saw the boy or you. I just deactivated the camera they put in the phone."

Bruce's eyes narrowed and his gaze fixed on the sleek, unmarked device. He nodded and turned back to his son.

"I don't disagree with your decision, but why didn't you sell us out? You told me yourself that you would do so if the price was right. So, if I may ask, why the change of heart now?"

Bruce had his answer as Slade's eye fixed on Dick. The Dark Knight couldn't help but smirk as he locked gazes with Slade.

"He used the eyes didn't he? I can never say no to the 'puppy dog' eyes."

Slade smirked himself, but then turned serious. "You're leaving, aren't you? He'll be devastated," Slade commented. Bruce frowned and clenched his fists.

"I understand that, but I've put us all in danger by coming here and I need to leave."

Slade snorted and left the room. He couldn't believe the audacity of the Bat. Bruce talked about keeping the boy safe and protecting him, but all that talk meant nothing if Bruce was going to keep hurting the boy emotionally. Slade clinched his fists in anger, the urge to hit something extremely high.

He knew he had no right to say anything about parenting to the Bat, not after what he had put his own children through. Slade released a breath he didn't know he had been holding and unclenched his fists.

_You're getting too involved Wilson, stay unattached._

_**~Lessons~**_

Queen Bee walked into the computer room quickly, her high-heeled shoes clicking against the tiles of the marble floor. She pushed her tech man, Marco out of the way and sat down in front of the computer and started typing in code. A diagram of a cell phone popped up on the screen, a red light blinking over the area where the camera was located. A cruel smirk passed over her face.

"Alert Vandal Savage Marco. Thanks to that mercenary's stupid misjudgment we've gotten the Bat. I want you to turn that camera back on and get me coordinates of their hideout. Make sure that the squads know that I want the Bat to be alive when he is brought here."

"O…Of course, y…your Majesty, but w…what of the b…boy, would he not m…make a v…valuable asset?"

The smirk on Queen Bee's face widened and she patted Marco on the cheek.

"No Marco, the boy is useless. I want him dead, but I would like the Bat to see just how badly he failed. Tell Savage that I will handle the seizure, he gets the honor of killing the Bat's precious little bird."


End file.
